Nero

Nero is one of the main protagonists of the Devil May Cry series. He first appeared as a playable character in Devil May Cry 4, and later in Devil May Cry 5. He is the son of Vergil who is raised in Fortuna and serves as a Holy Knight in the Order of the Sword, a religious group that worships Sparda and fights to protect the world from demons.

In Devil May Cry 4, however, he is forced to fight against the Order after encountering Dante and uncovering a conspiracy to conquer the world using The Savior. In Devil May Cry 5, Nero is a more seasoned demon hunter that has since changed his operation to being a mobile Devil May Cry branch. He finds himself fending off a demonic invasion as he chases a mysterious figure (later revealed to be his own biological father Vergil at the end) that severed the Devil Bringer.

Development
The Devil May Cry 4 Material Collection Artbook shows a myriad of sketches and changes over Nero's design. Later artbook, Graphic Arts 3142, confirms that Nero went through a tumultuous development. One of the first considered concepts was a Sherlock Holmes-type of character, who would be "sipping tea as he fought off demons," and some of those concepts can be seen in Material Collection as well. Other concepts of him include Nero in white clothes similar to those worn by the rest of the Order, some which are very aristocratic in appearance and some that are similar to Vergil's blue outfit. In most of them, Nero has a much slimmer build with predominantly yellow eyes, in contrast to the final result seen in the released game. The artbook also has several images depicting Nero with a full Devil Trigger that has wings, but this design was scrapped in exchange for the spectre-like form seen in the final game.

According to Devil May Cry 4: Deadly Fortune novel, Nero was originally named after a sculptor called Rodin, who created Gates of Hell, a monumental sculptural group depicting scenes from Dante Alighieri's Inferno in high relief. However, because the crew preferred a two-syllable name, and because they were afraid "Rodin" might give too much of an "intellectual" impression, they decided to go for a different name. As stated in the novel, Morihashi Bingo accidentally came up with the name Nero, and it has nothing to do with Nelo Angelo.

In early publicity art, screenshots, and trailers for Devil May Cry 4, Nero's Devil Bringer originally had a golden glow before it was changed to blue; the reason for this change is unknown.

Before Devil May Cry 5, which canonically confirmed it, Nero's heritage was less certain. At the time, the only certain facts were that Nero had a strong connection with Yamato, and that Sanctus placed him somewhere inside the Sparda bloodline. Logically, this would make Nero being Vergil's son the most plausible explanation, but some statements from developers at the time contradicted the timeline. Although there had been a number of unofficial statements that confirmed that Nero was Vergil's son, fans had to wait six years before Graphic Arts 3142 finally confirmed it.undefined

Appearance
Back in his initial appearance, Nero wore a long, dark blue coat with a red inner lining with The Order of the Sword's insignia sewn into both shoulders. The coat has a brown harness. Under the coat he wears a red zip-up hoodie/vest with two zippers under his coat, a black shirt beneath that. On his left writs he has a red wristband held in place with a small brown belt. Nero's legwear consists of a pair of blue pants held up by a belt with a rose buckle. Over his pants, he wears brown thigh straps with a small belts in them. Nero wears brown boots that go half way up his shins.

In addition, he wears two rings on his left hand: one on his index finger that has the emblem of The Order of the Sword on its face and another on his ring finger which bears a rose design, identical to the designs on his belt buckle, coat clasp, and coat buttons. He has white hair brushed down and blue eyes, similar to Dante and Vergil.

In Devil May Cry 5, Nero shortens his hair to a faux-hawk like style, and now wears a more casual attire, consisting of a dark blue hooded jacket, a tattered dark crimson shirt and black pants with military-style combat boots. He also uses a cybernetic arm in place of his Devil Bringer. Although at the end of the game, he regrows his human arm, he also uses a prototype power gauntlet made by Nico to substitute his Devil Breakers. While in his recently awakened full-powered Devil Trigger, Nero, not only gain a demonic yellow pupil and black iris, also gain a cyan skin with glowing blue lines on his abs and lower arms, red lines on his both sides of his mouth to eyes, long hair, blue spectral wing-like arms, and a feather-like horns.

Personality
In contrast with Dante's laid-back and occasionally flirtatious attitude, Nero is a more serious, sardonic and somewhat antisocial person. He is a choleric character whose emotions can get the better of him, especially when his loved ones are involved. Nero also has a short-temper and prone to be impulsive, although by Devil May Cry 5 he has notably mellowed out somewhat, which Nero attributed to caring for the orphans that lives with him and Kyrie.

However, he is also like Dante in that he has a rebellious nature: he wields a gun, despite the Order's general prohibition against them; he doesn't really believe in the Order's religion; and cares little for the legend of Sparda. His rebellious nature leads to the Order having him work alone on "special jobs." In fact, Nero actually prefers to act as a lone wolf.undefined However, Nero shows great loyalty to people he cares about, especially to Kyrie and Credo whom he grew up with. Even though he doesn't care for the Order of the Sword's religion, Nero still participates in some of their activities out of respect for Credo and Kyrie. Nero's softer side comes out around his loved ones, especially around his lover Kyrie. Nero is very gentle and thoughtful towards Kyrie and considers himself to be very lucky to have her in his life.

Like Dante, Nero is a somewhat arrogant and cocky person. He shares Dante's habit of casually mouthing off to even the most powerful of his enemies, making taunts and sarcastic jokes on the battlefield. Nero also taunts in a similar, sarcastic fashion to Dante: one taunt involves him bowing mockingly and asking, "Shall we dance?"; another has him aiming the Blue Rose at his enemies and saying "Bang!" instead of shooting; and another has him applaud his enemies. Despite that, Nero shows an underlying insecurity about his own ability to protect those he loves, a fear aggravated by his inability to save Credo. Therefore, he takes comments about his own abilities to heart, which is seen when he holds a resentment of the term 'dead weight' after Dante called him that. He eventually comes to terms with his insecurity when he resolves not to let Dante and Vergil kill each other, which allows him to tap into his own demonic abilities.

Nero was initially disgusted by his demonic abilities. When he first received the Devil Bringer, he considered it a curse and covered it with a medical sling to hide it out of shame. However, over time he began to train with the Devil Bringer until he finally embraces it as his power.

Nero is one of the few characters in the Devil May Cry series to actually swear and showcased offensive and crude behavior to others. Such instances includes: him calling Agnus a "jackass" and his laboratory a "hellhole". He also almost calls Agnus a "son of a bitch" later, but is cut short. Before fighting Dante, he tells him "Kid? Well, if that's how you see me, I think you'll blush a pretty pink when I kick your ass". Later on, he tells Sanctus "Go blow yourself" and could say "I'm not interested in your bullshit!" when using a Buster in the first battle with the vicar. Lastly, he gives Dante the middle finger before being absorbed by The Savior. In Devil May Cry 5, during the final battle between him and his father Vergil, he says "Fuck you!" while giving him a middle finger during his transformation into his demonic form via Devil Trigger. He further calls Vergil a "Fucking Asshole!".

Before Devil May Cry 4
As was mentioned in an incident report, a number of demons appeared suddenly from the Mitis Forest and attacked Fortuna. Nero was present at the scene and exterminated all of the demons, but he couldn't prevent demons from injuring Kyrie and his own shoulder. Nero's sword, the Red Queen, was also damaged and sent for repair. Kyrie recovered completely, but Nero's shoulder never healed properly, and was transformed into something else. Initially he believed it to be an infection but, upon realizing it was demonic power, he began training with it in secret.undefined

Devil May Cry 4
On the day of the Festival of the Blade, Nero barely manages to make it to Kyrie's performance in time after dealing with a group of demons, with a man in red secretly watching him from the rooftops. He leaves her a gift and then prepares to leave, having grown tired of Sanctus's preaching. Just before he can, though, the mysterious man in red bursts in through the glass ceiling during a prayer and slays Sanctus, the leader of the Order. Before the assassin (who is later revealed to be Dante) can confirm the kill, Credo, along with a battalion of knights confront him, but are completely outmatched. Kyrie, seeing that Dante is going to kill her brother, finally escapes Nero's hold on her and runs to them, but is knocked down in the process. When Nero sees the man in red looming over Kyrie, he kicks him in the face and orders Credo and Kyrie to go get help while he stalls Dante.

The two fight, and Nero is forced to reveal his Devil Bringer. With it, he was able to knock Dante back and impale him with his own sword on Sparda's statue. But Dante, who isn't just a mere mortal, frees himself and jumps down. Nero states that Dante isn't human, to which Dante then pulls Rebellion out and comments that they're the same, and points out the knights he had slain, who turned out to be demons. Confused, Nero watches as Dante flees the scene. Shortly after, Kyrie returns Nero's sword, Red Queen, at Credo's request. Credo gives an order to Nero - to pursue the man in red, with witnesses seeing him heading to Fortuna Castle. Suddenly, all three feel the building shudder, and leave to discover the city's citizens being attacked by demons. While Kyrie and Credo lead the survivors back to headquarters, Nero fights off the remaining demons. In order to pursue Dante, Nero goes through Fortuna, which is totally overrun with demons. His pursuit of Dante leads him to discover the source of these demons: in a small village at the base of Lamina Peak, just outside the city, Nero finds the first Hell Gate and fights its guardian, Berial the Conqueror of the Fire Hell.

After defeating Berial, Nero makes his way through a supernatural blizzard to Fortuna Castle where he meets Gloria, a new member of the Order whom he's never seen before. After some exposition, Nero and Gloria go their separate ways. When Nero enters Fortuna Castle, he finds it infested with demons and starts to investigate. He finds the second Hell Gate and fights Bael, a large toad-like demon whose specialty is ice. While exploring the castle, Nero stumbles upon a secret underground laboratory of the Order, where he meets Agnus, the Order's Chief Alchemist. Agnus reveals that he created the Hell Gates and uses them to summon demons, which he needs for his experiments. Agnus also reveals that by using this power, Sanctus hopes to rule the world by using the Savior, the god-like being the Order constructed.

Agnus succeeds in killing Nero with his Angelos, but Nero is dramatically revived with a Devil Trigger, due to the Yamato which resonated with him. In this form, Nero manages to repair the Yamato, the broken sword of Dante's fallen brother, Vergil, which Agnus had been holding within a containment field inside his lab. Nero then forces Agnus to reveal his Angelo form and retreat.

Afterwards, Nero heads towards The Order's headquarters, believing Credo knows more about what is going on. He crosses a bridge which leads into a cave concealed by the Foris Falls and finds himself in the Mitis Forest. Here, Dante bumps into him, but their encounter is very brief. Dante apologizes snidely to Nero, stating that "it'll have to wait", and then jumps off a cliff. Nero fights countless demons on his way through the forest and eventually banishes Echidna the She-Viper, a dragon-like demon who treats the demons of the forest as her children. After that, Nero reaches the Headquarters without any other surprises.

At the entrance he is met by Credo, whereupon Nero asks who Dante is. Credo draws his blade and exclaims that Nero does not have the authority to demand answers from him. Nero reflexively uses his Devil Bringer to block an attack from Credo, exposing his secret. Realizing that Agnus, who brought news of Nero's demonic power to the Orders' commanders only moments earlier, was right, Credo transforms into his Angelo form and declares that Nero is under arrest. A fight ensues, after which Credo returns to his human form and Nero emerges victorious, but Kyrie, appearing seemingly from nowhere, screams out when she beholds what she interprets as Nero, with a demon arm, trying to kill Credo. Nero tries to explain and calm Kyrie, but Agnus swoops in and captures her, revealing Sanctus's desire to use her to get to Nero. Credo is furious as Agnus flies away with Kyrie, so he asks Nero to put aside this fight and vows to get the truth from Sanctus. While Credo flies off to see Sanctus, Nero pursues Agnus and Kyrie.

Nero finds and fights Agnus in the Order's headquarters and succeeds in defeating him. Just as Nero is about to finish off Agnus, an army of Bianco Angelos, led by none other than Sanctus himself, in the armor of an Alto Angelo no less, swoops in to aid him. As Sanctus leaves with Kyrie, Nero jumps after her, but he is only able to grab her necklace, which he gave to her as a gift back at the cathedral. Nero turns around and continues to pursue Agnus, Sanctus, and Kyrie. However, he runs into Dante on his way out. Nero tries to ignore Dante, but Dante reveals that he wants Yamato back because it used to belong to his brother, Vergil.

Nero refuses, causing another fight between them. Although Nero is wielding Yamato and manages to disarm Dante, he soon is forced to acknowledge Dante's superiority when he swiftly knocks him down with only his bare hands. However, Dante also says that now he is calm and cool so he can go now, revealing Dante was not only fighting him but was also guiding him at the same time. Although Dante did want his brother's sword back, he allows Nero to keep it for now, seeing how he needs it and that he is calm headed. Dante asks Nero's name and so he reveals it to Dante while also commenting that each other's names were "not bad," thus showing their mutual respect.

Nero later finds Sanctus next to a giant statue resembling Sparda, which is the Savior. Sanctus asks Nero if he wishes to surrender himself and form the Savior's core together with Kyrie in which Nero refuses and attempts to rescue her, but fails and falls into Sanctus's trap. In the process, Sanctus takes the Yamato from Nero. Suddenly, Credo appears, enraged because Sanctus had used Kyrie, and attacks his former superior. Sanctus runs him through with Yamato, causing a mortal wound, and Credo to fall off the Savior but is caught by Dante. He, together with Trish, witness as Nero is absorbed into the heart of the Savior. The Savior soon awakens and flies toward Fortuna. Credo asks Dante to honor one last request: to save both Kyrie and Nero, after which he dies.

Much later, Dante, having retrieved Yamato and destroyed all the Hell Gates, faces off against the Savior. After weakening the Savior's exterior, Dante thrusts Yamato into the core of the statue, awakening Nero and allowing him to escape the heart-like organ imprisoning him. After completing a number of trials within the Savior, Nero finally confronts Sanctus. Sanctus, having achieved even greater levels of power with the Sparda, asks why Nero betrayed the Order. Nero answers that Sanctus has done enough foul deeds to make Nero hate him. During their exchanges, Sanctus also scoffs at Nero for being held back by love.

Nero finally defeats Sanctus inside the Savior. In a final bid for victory, Sanctus implores Sparda for power, but his request remains unfulfilled. In a fit of rage, he asks why Sparda refuses to give him the power to kill Nero.The sword remains silent, but Nero explains to Sanctus that although Sparda was a demon, he did have a heart, one that could love another person. Lacking this, the sword will not grant his request for power. Nero saves Kyrie and kills Sanctus, and they escape the Savior. Although it seems that all is finally over, the Savior suddenly transforms into the form of the False Savior, taking on Sanctus' appearance. Nero asks to fight in Dante's stead, and Dante acquiesces. Nero offers a quick prayer to God, during which he explains how he's come to terms with his demonic power, and destroys the False Savior and Sanctus once and for all by using it.

Nero meets up with Dante, with whom he exchanges thanks and friendship. With Dante about to leave, Nero tries to return Yamato back to him, but he refuses to take it saying it's now entrusted to Nero. In their final moments together, Nero asks Dante if they'll meet again, but Dante just vaguely waves in answer.

Kyrie joins Nero as they both agree it's all over, and, although the city is in shambles, they express no regret. Instead they admit their desire to be together. Despite Nero's demon power, Kyrie shows total acceptance of him. Nero returns the necklace to her and they nearly kiss, but they are interrupted by some remaining Scarecrows. Nero fights them off while Kyrie waits and also agrees to kiss him later in the final scene. After defeating the demon, Nero and Kyrie are seen holding hands while looking on at a distance.

Before Devil May Cry 5
Some time after the events of Devil May Cry 4, Nero was given a blue Devil May Cry neon sign by Dante, sent by J.D. Morrison. With it, Nero and Kyrie soon set up their own Devil May Cry branch and rented an apartment in Fortuna, making Nero an official professional Devil Hunter.

Devil May Cry 5: Before the Nightmare
Over the course of the next five years, Nero was met with many people, such as occult reporters and novelists, who were investigating The Savior incident. At one point, Nero met a occult journalist named Jeffrey Turner for the "Occult Times" magazine, vaguely answered his questions and had a picture taken of himself, thought his face was obscured. Since the Fortuna orphanage had not been rebuilt after the incident, Nero and Kyrie took in three young orphans: Julio, Kyle, and Carlo. However, their lifestyle was very simple since there wasn't a lot of work for Nero to do in Fortuna, be it hunting demons or helping the locals, and Kyrie usually refused monetary payment, so they were often paid in food and other essential items.

One day, while trying to repair Red Queen, Nero was interrupted by Julio, who informed Nero that a "strange woman" was outside. Nero jokingly asked Julio if the woman hasd"three eyes and no nose," but was told that the fact that she was looking for him was what made her strange. Nero initially thought it was another reporter, but when Julio described the woman as having dark skin and glasses, Nero believed that it may be Gloria. However, Julio also stated that she had frizzy black hair, which annoyed the woman in question - Nico - and caused her to barge into Nero's garage. While hiding his Devil Bringer away from Nico's sight, Nero sent Julio back to Kyrie and determined that Nico was either human or a weak demon due to the Devil Bringer having no reaction to her. When Nico questioned Nero, Nero requested that Nico should put out her cigarette before speaking with him because he doesn't like smoking and the garage is full of combustible gases. When Nico quipped that he should save the lectures for Julio, Nero became more irritated and told Nico to put out her cigarette or get out of his garage. Nero mentally observed that Nico was about the same age as him yet she talked down to him and thought that she was an unpleasant person.

After Nico complied with Nero's demand, she noticed his Devil Bringer and teased him a little bit about his arm. Although Nero was worried about her reaction to it, Nico nonchalantly stated that he doesn't have worry and that his Devil Bringer was part of who he was. Nico finally introduced herself as "Nicoletta Goldstein" and explained that she was looking for The Order of the Sword's demonic research documents, which was why she was asking former members of the organization for help. Nero noticed that Nico didn't seems to have any ill-intent, but remained wary of her and inquired how she knows about the Order's private research. When Nico revealed her extensive investigation, Nero realized that she had legitimate connections to demons as opposed to the occult fanatics, but  believed that it gave him more of a reason to be suspicious of her and denied her request. Nero was surprised when she suddenly asked about Agnus and informed her that he was killed. When he asked how she knows "that asshole," Nero was stricken with disbelief upon learning that Agnus was her father. As Nico started tinkering with Red Queen, Nero struggled to take it back from her, due to disliking how she touched his stuff without permission. However, Nero eventually stood in awe as she immediately identified its problem while scolding Nero for not regularly doing maintenance on Red Queen, and quickly fixed it. Nero accepted that Nico was Angus's daughter by watching her work and noticing the similarities between them. Feeling indebted for Red Queen's repair, Nero decided to help Nico find the documents and was joyfully given permission to call her "Nico".

Nero took Nico to the basement of Fortuna Castle, where Agnus's old lab was located, and watched her stutter with excitement at the equipment. Fearing that she may be planning to continuing Agnus's malicious research and bring demons into the Human World, Nero asked Nico what her intentions were while secretly planning to kill her with Blue Rose depending on her answer. When Nico explained to Nero she wanted to be a weapon artist, Nero took his finger off Blue Rose's trigger. When asked if he knew Nell Goldstein, Nero was insulted by Nico, but managed to keep his cool and explained he hasn't heard of her because guns aren't popular in Fortuna. Nero told Nico that people used to look down on Nero for using one, piquing Nico's interest and causing her to ask if Nero really has a gun. After hesitating for a moment, Nero showed Blue Rose to Nico and allowed her to examine it, while becoming impressed that Nico was able to deduce the gun's design. While Nero reflected over his life, Nico started bragging about Nell's work, which Nero had little interest in until she mentioned Ebony & Ivory. Nero realized the connection between Dante and Nico while becoming increasingly uncomfortable since Dante was the one that killed Agnus using Nell's guns. While ignoring Nico's inquiry if Dante was a good person and was using her grandmother's weapons honorably, Nero quietly tried to process the information Nico gave him and reflected how Dante was an important person to him, leaving him confused as to how to explain everything to Nico. In the end, Nero told Nico everything about Agnus and Dante, which she held no hard feelings for.

Later, Nero and Nico took all of Agnus's documents back to Nero's house and allowed Nico to stay with them for a while as she worked through the papers. During dinner, Nero stomped on Nico's foot when she swears in front of Kyrie, which amused Kyrie. While Kyrie was in the kitchen, Nico remarked that Kyrie was too good for Nero, which Nero agreed with. When Nico took out her cigarettes, Nero snatched them away for her and ordered her not to smoke in the house. Before going outside, Nico questioned if Nero would like to use any of her weapons, though Nero didn't how to respond to that, and she proclaimed that they will be business partners. Nero was unsure if Nico was okay with the arrangement since he helped Dante kill her father, but Nico stated she doesn't hold any grudges. Nero then reacted in shock when Nico told him about Rock Goldstein, who is also her blood-related uncle and her adoptive father.

For the next year, Nero and Kyrie came to the conclusion that they should make their own Devil May Cry branch mobile so Nero can find more work outside Fortuna and earn more money in order to support themselves and the orphans. Since they didn't have a lot of money, Nero purchased a broken down RV and began working with Nico in refurbishing it. One day in April, Nero and Nico were working on the RV, with Nico complaining about how she had become Nero's "pet mechanic" since she had been helping him so much, but Nero said that Nico still owed him for his giving her the Order's documents. When Kyrie called them in for dinner, Nero told Nico to go on ahead of him and started cleaning up when he noticed a hooded figure outside the garage. Thinking the man was homeless, Nero causally invited him to eat with him and Kyrie, while not noticing that the hooded man had stepped inside the garage without a response. Suspicious, Nero questioned what the stranger wanted and noticed his Devil Bringer is glowing, signaling that the stranger is a demon. Hearing Kyrie calling for him, Nero warned her to stay away, leaving himself open for an attack from the stranger, who the ripped the Devil Bringer off Nero's arm. As the hooded man used Yamato to teleport away, Nero bled profusely as he weakly tried to stop the man. Nero soon passed out from the blood loss as Kyrie and Nico arrived onthe scene and tried to stop the bleeding as they called a hospital for help.

For the next few weeks, Nero remained in a coma and eventually woke up in his hospital room to find V by his bedside. Without his Devil Bringer to tell him if V was a demon or nor, a tense Nero questioned V, who told him that he knows the demon who stole his arm and that Dante was currently on his way to fight him, since he hired Dante to beat the demon due to V being after him as well. V invited Nero to join the mission because he doesn't think Dante can beat the demon alone, which Nero was doubtful about. Nero also pointed out that his current condition won't allow him to fight very well, but V and Griffon goaded Nero by remarking on his wounded pride. Although he doesn't trust V, Nero desired to get back his Devil Bringer and was used to fighting with one arm since he used to hide his Devil Bringer a lot. However, Nero was worried about Kyrie, and since he believed that she wouldn't let him leave after what had happened to him, Nero told V to wait while he sneaked back to the garage so he could get his weapons. Afterwards, Nero and V traveled to Red Grave City in a helicopter and entered the Qliphoth tree.

Seeing Dante fighting from afar, Nero questioned why he was here since it seems Dante was holding his own well enough, but V warned Nero not to underestimate the demon, Urizen, since he gained a lot of power after taking Nero's Devil Bringer. After V went ahead, Nero mused how everything about V was suspicious yet felt compelled for some reason to follow him and wanted to believe V was being with honest with him. Nevertheless, Nero had a "score to settle" and that he felt guilty for losing Yamato after Dante entrusted it to him. Nero fought his way through the tree, meeting up with V again and was told to go ahead leave the lesser demons to him. Upon entering Urizen's throne room, Nero saw Dante, Trish, and Lady on the ground. After saving Dante from being grabbed by a tentacle, Nero felt happy since Dante saved Nero and his loved ones once, and always wanted to repay Dante ever since. Nero insulted Urizen, who didn't response to his provocation, and proclaimed to Dante that will be taking over the fight. Nero tried attacking using Red Queen, but a crystal of red demonic power that conjures a barrier prevented Nero from landing blow on Urizen and Nero was soundly beat back.

As the ground began to shake, Nero nearly blasted by Urizen, but Dante intervened and told Nero to leave while he hold Urizen back. Nero still wanted to fight, but Dante yelled that Nero was "dead weight", which deeply hurt Nero and greatly angered him. Nero had to dragged out of the throne room by V before debris collapse the entrance. When Nero attempted to climb over the debris, V had to pinned him down and told Nero stop beating himself. Nero and V escaped from the Qliphoth and met up with Morrison and told him what happened as tentacles started sprouted from the group and attacking people. While Nero wanted to fight and help the people, V stopped him and told him there was nothing he could do. After V revealed that the world will end after a month, Nero and V agreed to meet up again in a month, with Nero returning to Fortuna to train to get stronger since Nero was the only one who could defeat Urizen if Dante was really gone.

Once back in Fortuna, Nero immediately requested Nico to make him a prosthetic arm, which would take six months to create. Nero explained that her about their time limited, which only stressed Nico out since it's impossible to make the arm within that time frame. When speaking to Nico after two days, Nero suggested asking Morrison for help, which she rejected, and ridiculed her for the lack of results. When Nico chastised for his attitude, Nero apologized to Nico and promised to wait a littler longer. After Julio arrived to informed Nero that demons appeared Mitis Forest, Nero invited Nico to joined him and instructed her to keep her distance. After wandering in the forest for a while, Nero discovered a Blitz and tried to buy time so Nico can get to safety, but Nicowas inspired and choose to stay. After killing the Blitz, Nero brought the Blitz's corpse back home so Nico can study how it generates electricity in order to build Nero's prosthetic arm. Nero also invited Nico to come on his demon hunts from now on to get more ideas.

After a month, Nero prepared to return to Red Grave City, wearing Nico's Devil Breaker to replace his right arm, and said goodbyes to Kyrie, telling her the Morrison may be sending people to protect the town while he was away. On the road, Nero received a call from V and set a meeting place so they plan their next move. While Nero chide Nico for her rough driving, he thanked her for doing her best within the time limit. Since Nico had more ideas for his Devil Breakers, Nero promised to collect resources for her, especially demon corpses or fragments. Haven't heard any news about Dante for a month, Nero mentally readied himself to save Dante and fight with his pride on the line.

Devil May Cry 5
As the evening set in, Nero listen to the radio about how people are dealing to events happening in Red Grave City before going bored and shutting it off. Nero asked Nico how she felt about going to save Dante since he was the one who killed Agnus, but Nico coldly remarked she doesn't feel anything for her father since he left her a long time ago. As Nero nagged at Nico for smoking in the van, they see a group of Empusa demons on the road, though Nero quickly and acrobatically finished them off before continuing their path on the Red Grave. On the bridge, they saw a military unit fruitlessly trying to fight off demons and Nero goes to help them, though not before making sarcastic comments at the leading Soldier in charge and telling him to stay out of the way. Nero took this opportunity to test out his Overture Devil Breaker and showed off in front of Nico and the soldiers. Nero also observed the Qliphoth roots all over the city and wondered why demons are gathering so much blood. After saving the Soldier and his unit, Nero learned from him that the entire city had been taken over by demons, knowing that Yamato made this all possible.

Upon arriving in the city, Nero had to separate from Nico since the road were blocked, but not before looking for letters from Morrison. Nero transversed the ruined city, fighting his way through the roots and demons, and spotted V from a distance as he made his way closer to their rendezvous point. Nero arrived at the destination first, only to be ambushed by Goliath and had a car thrown at him, but was able to easily avoid it and mocked the demon's goal of becoming king of the Demon World. Nero easily overwhelmed Goliath and was about to finished him when V showed up and finished Goliath for him. After bantering a little bit, Nero asked if V knows if Dante was still alive at the Qliphoth tree. V calmly stated that if Dante was still up there then he would likely be Qliphoth pollen by now and explained what the Qliphoth does to people to Nero. Nero stated that they will Dante if he still alive, but will leave his body alone if he's not, and started to head towards the Qliphoth tree. However, V stopped Nero and informed that they must take care of the Qliphoth roots first. When Nero sees Griffon and Shadow, Nero quietly inquired what V was, but their conversation was interrupted by Nico. Seeing Nico's fawning over Goliath's horn, Nero joked with Nico before refocusing on the mission and went inside to plan their next move. Nero and V agreed to split up to cover more ground and meet up with each other at the base of the Qliphoth tree.

When Nico announced she made a new Devil Breaker Nero and demanded payment, Nero playfully argued with Nico since he collected the materials she needed to make the Devil Breakers. Before leaving, Nico told Nero he'll be own his own for while until she can clear the roads and better ask her any questions he has about the Devil Breakers. As Nero left the RV, he commented on Nico's laid-back demeanor amidst their situation. Nero worked his way to the Qliphoth, destroying as many Qliphoth roots and demons as he could. Sometime later, Nero came across Artemis and attempted to banter with it, but goes straight to fighting it since it can't communicate with it. During the fight, Nero noticed odd about Artemis and eveantualyl wounded it enough to see that Lady was inside of it. Nero cut Artemis apart and rescue Lady, who was unconscious. When Nico showed up, she teased Nero about holding the naked Lady in his arms and playfully threaten to tell Kyrie, which made Nero warily remarked that the situation would make Kyrie very mad at him.

Nero and Nico cleaned Lady up in the RV and made her comfortable until she woke up. When the ground began shaking, Nero noticed the giant demon Gilgamesh a few yards away from them and goes out of deal with it since it was too big to left alone. While attacking it, Nero encountered V again through a hole Gilgamesh fell through. When Nero asked what he was doing down there, Griffon answered that they were attacking Gilgamesh's feet and jabbed if Nero thought he made Gilgamesh fall by himself. Slightly annoyed, Nero jokingly implied about eating Griffon before V broke off their banter and left Nero to finish Gilgamesh by himself. After killing the demon, Nero was notified that Lady was awake now and picked a piece of Gilgamesh for Nico to use. Nero asked Lady what happened to her, Dante, and Trish after Urizen defeated them a month ago. Unfortunately, Lady was unable to provide Nero with anything useful since her memory was hazy. When V entered the RV, Nero informed him that they were waiting for V s they can travel by foot since the van cannot travel any further since the road was blocked. Before Nero left, Lady asked Nero if they can trust V, though Nero stated that while he was unsure if they could, V was helpful.

While they went on different underground paths, Nero and V met again on the surface and were confronted by a Proto Angelo and a small army of Scudo Angelos. While Nero cracked a joke and made light of the situation, he was puzzled by V's angry reaction towards their enemies before proceeding to battle them on their moving battlefield. Nero and V finished the fight before their platform went over a cliff, which (unknown to Nero) was the area where Sparda's family mansion was located. As V starts reminiscing about his past memories, Nero curiously listened to V's vague tale. When V told Nero he was going to look for the Devil Sword Sparda, Nero warned V that wasn't a good idea since the sword was very hard to handle. However, V shrugged off Nero's warning and simply stated they need all the help they can get, which made Nero continuously question V's actions and what was he hiding from him. Nero's musings was interrupted by the timely arrival of Nico, who nearly hit Nero with the van, and heartily commented that they becoming more in tune as a team. Nero made his way to his way the Qliphoth and returned to Urizen's throne room again. While angrily snarking at the demon, Nero remarked that Dante's body wasn't here before starting the fight.

Despite Nero's best efforts and his Devil Breakers, Nero was only able to break through Urizen's shield and land a small cut on Urizen's hand, causing the demon to bleed. While Nero took the wound as a sign of his success, a furious Urizen harshly knocked Nero down and rose from his throne, declaring he would make Nero regret being born a useless human and vowed to give him death and despair. After a long hard battle, an exhausted Nero was ensnared by Urizen's tentacles and was about to die, but was suddenly saved by Dante in his Sin Devil Trigger. While Nero didn't immediately recognize Dante in his new form, he was elated upon seeing Dante alive and told him he'll leave Urizen in his hands before passing out, leaving Griffon to carry Nero and fly him away to safety to where Nico and Lady were located in the Qliphoth tree.

Later, Nero regained consciousness and joined the group just as Dante, V and Trish arrived and were discussing the next course of action. Once V explained that Urizen will be on the uppermost level of Qliphoth, Nero insisted on joining Dante, who didn't want Nero to come, but V supported Nero's presence since they were running out of time and didn't have time to argue. However, Dante decreed that all three of them should go their separate ways and left before Nero or V could interject. Nero fights his way through the tree and briefly encountered Dante and V on the way, only for them to get separated after the ground collapsed. After a little while, Nero noticed his Devil Breaker was wearing down and was nearly ram in the head when Nico arrived with the RV. Nero berated her nearly killing him, but Nico defended himself since Lady was the one driving before focusing to tuning my Nero's Devil Breaker. Nero continued to make his way down and found Malphas hunting V. Nero shot at her to draw her attention away from V and was unfazed by the demon's taunts at him. With the aid of some more Devil Breaker V gifted him, Nero quickly defeated Malphas and told V it was safe now. Seeing how V's body was badly deteriorating, Nero told to get him some rest, but V begged Nero to take him to Urizen as his last request, which he reluctantly agreed to. As they made their way onward, V revealed to Nero that Urizen was really Dante's older brother Vergil, much to Nero's shock. When Nero questioned why the brothers would fight, V explained that it was because they disagreed on their reason for existing and fought each other to adhered their own beliefs, though Nero found it all ridiculous.

After Dante defeats Urizen, Nero asked Dante if Urizen was really his brother, which Dante confirmed. Nero then stood by and watched as Dante failed stop V from stabbing Urizen's chest with his cane to merge back into Vergil. While Dante and Vergil briefly scuffled, Nero cautiously observed the brothers and was puzzled by Vergil thanking him before the latter teleported away. Confused over what happened, Nero asked Dante where V was and was vaguely told that V was part of Vergil. Dante demanded that Nero go home since his fight with Vergil has nothing to do with him. Angered that Dante is undermining him, Nero stated that he wants to fight Vergil since he stole his Devil Bringer arm from him and refused to leave. As the argument escalated, Dante revealed to him that Vergil was his father and that he already knew since he saw how Yamato reacted to Nero years ago. Dante gently told Nero that he doesn't want Nero to be burdened by the fact he's fighting his father before leaving a bewildered Nero behind in order for him to process the revelation. As the Qliphoth tree collapsed, Nero eventually rejoined Nico and the others just as they prepared to leave the Qliphoth. Noticing Dante wasn't in the RV, Nero asked the girls where he was, but Trish told him to let Dante handle Vergil alone. Nero questioned if Trish knew Vergil and explained that Vergil was his father, which she confirmed and stated that she had also suspected that Nero was related to Vergil too. When Nero expressed his anger and confusion, Trish tried to calm Nero down and explained that no matter how much he hates Vergil, he can't kill his father. Having killed her own father, Lady said that Nero would never recover from such an act and attempted to comfort Nero, saying he should be proud of how much he has done during the crisis and can move on. However, Nero angrily disregarded her and demanded Nico to turn the RV around, but Nico denied Nero's order, causing Nero to jump out of the van so he could find both Dante and Vergil by himself.

As he made his way up the Qliphoth, Nero found a operational phone booth and called Kyrie for guidance. Nero explained to Kyrie that he had nothing as a child and Kyrie and Credo were the only family he knew, but now he had a father and uncle who are trying to kill each other. When Nero asked Kyrie how he was supposed to handle this situation, she lovingly encouraged not to doubt himself because he always knew right from wrong. Assured by his lover's words, Nero thanked Kyrie and told her he will be home soon. As Nero ran to the top of the Qliphoth, Nero reflected over not being able to save Credo and was determined not to lose anyone else. Nero's heightened emotional state caused his demonic blood to react, with the energy destroying his Devil Breaker and his arm to regenerate. The surge of power caused Nero to activate his true Devil Trigger form, while transforming him into a angelic-looking demon in the process.

Using his wings, Nero quickly flew up the tree and stopped Dante and Vergil from landing a fatal blow on each other. Both Vergil and Dante are confused and curious about his newfound power, but Nero simply told the two to stop fighting. When Dante began to protest Nero's involvement, Nero uses his spectral wing to roughly punch Dante aside. Nero personally confronts his father, who laughs at his intentions. Vergil informs Dante that if Nero loses, then by default he has beaten Dante, which the latter acknowledges and doesn't care about before collapsing while stating that he is going to sit it out. Nero knows that Vergil and V were the same person and acknowledges him as his father and the fight ensues. Nero manages to defeat Vergil, who became impressed by his son's abilities which Dante jokingly informs him that he took his son's arm just to gain more power and he still lost the fight.

As soon as the brothers were ready to seal off the portal to the Underworld, Nero tried to stop them only for him to be knocked away by both of them. Before leaving, Dante leaves Nero the responsibility of carrying out his work, while Vergil leaves Nero his book as his gift, leaving Nero to watch them go while calling them idiots. After the incident, Nero was amused to see his arm had regrown when he activated his Devil Trigger while feeling mixed emotions about his true father. Kyrie soon calls Nero, who wanted to surprise her about his arm coming back normal along with his family connection to Sparda, before a horde of demons interrupt him and Nico. Nero fended off against all of the remaining demons in the city, using Nico's new Devil Breaker prototypes for his new Devil Bringer.

Powers and Abilities
Due to his demonic heritage, Nero possess great potential of power and amazing combat prowess. Though he was stated by Sanctus to not be in Dante's caliber during the period in which he opposed the Order of the Sword, Nero has proven himself to easily surpass members of the Order of the Sword and several, formidable demons such as Berial and Echidna. He has even defeated Dante when Dante was holding back, with Dante openly acknowledging that Nero was more powerful than most of the many opponents he had faced, although he was beaten when Dante used his full power.undefined Nero achieved his true potential during the events that led a reborn Vergil to battle Dante, where Nero's desire to save them both unlocked his true Devil Trigger, allowing him to take the form of a demon and become powerful enough to battle his father and win.

In Devil May Cry 4, after the events in the underground laboratory, Nero acquires Yamato and the ability to use Devil Trigger with it. His Devil Trigger is quite unusual in that it doesn't transform Nero himself: instead, a blue, spectral demon avatar manifests behind him, wielding the Yamato. Nero himself only acquires a blue aura, burning red eyes, and a deeper, echoing voice. The specter usually mimics Nero's movements, doing right-handed versions of Nero's attacks.

This specter has a noticeable resemblance to Vergil's Yamato Devil Trigger, mainly because of the "sheath" on its left arm used for storing Yamato when it is not in use. In addition, while in Devil Trigger, Nero gains the ability to fire Summoned Swords, in a way similar to Vergil.

As expected, while in Devil Trigger, Nero gains accelerated healing. After he is repeatedly impaled in Mission 6 and subsequently Triggers, once he leaves the Trigger form there are no signs of injury left.

A month and a half before the main events of Devil May Cry 5, Vergil forcibly severs Nero's Devil Bringer and takes Yamato harbored within. As a result, Nero loses the ability to use Devil Trigger for a time.

Nero awakens his own innate Devil Trigger at the end of the game, and this time, it is entirely his own power. Instead of a spectral demon avatar, Nero transforms into a full demonic form, with two spectral arms double-functioning as wings. These arms will follow up with claw attacks whenever Nero attacks with Red Queen.

In addition, in this form, Nero can create a sword made out of demonic energy as a replacement for Yamato for the Maximum Bet combo. Interestingly, Red Queen disappears in blue light whenever he activates Devil Trigger, although it will reappear when Nero starts attacking.

Powers= Demonic hybrid physiology: Nero possess both the blood of a demon and human due to his heritage from Vergil. As such, he is granted a far more powerful physiology.undefined

Abilities= Combat proficiency: Nero's combat abilities are great enough that the Order sometimes assigns him missions to carry out on his own and he has earned certain respect among his peers. Of some additional interest is his ability to fight proficiently using only one hand. Engineering: Nero upgraded his Red Queen to bypass the limiter placed on the revving feature as well as to spray a flammable accelerant on the blade. He also designed and built Blue Rose himself. Arsenal=
 * Superhuman strength: Nero possess great strength, able to easily block an attack from Berial's large sword using his left hand and the Red Queen. He is also capable of easily overpowering the Scarecrow physically and is capable of stopping two Bianco Angelo's in the middle of their thrust and throw them aside.undefined He is capable of contending against Dante in battle despite his own extreme strength and wielding his Devil Bringer, can even overpower him, able to easily throw him away.
 * Superhuman speed: He is also remarkably fast, capable of running on Echidna's back faster than the effect of gravity.undefined
 * Accelerated healing: While in Devil Trigger Nero displayed a healing factor capable enough to have given him vitality even after being stabbed by various Bianco Angelos.undefined When Vergil tore off Nero's arm, Nero used Devil Breakers as substitutes. By the time he stopped Vergil and Dante's fighting, his true power had awoken and Nero regenerated his entire human right arm within a matter of seconds.
 * Superhuman endurance: Nero can endure high amounts of physical damage, displaying such endurance when he was ran through by a Bianco Angelo's lance at full speed and survived. He was also able to survive for a short amount of time with a Gladius stabbed into his chest.undefined
 * Devil Bringer: Nero's right arm and the manifestation of his demonic power, the Devil Bringer allows Nero to create a spectral arm capable of being controlled by Nero's movements on his right arm. It is durable enough to withstand punishment from the likes of Rebellion.
 * Artifact absorption: The Devil Bringer can absorb items and use their powers or absorb items into it for storage.undefined
 * Demon power manipulation: Nero has shown the ability to channel his demonic energy into his gun from his Devil Bringer or in the air to perform Charged Shots and Air Hike.undefined He's also able to convert back his regenerated right arm back into its spectral form so he can fit in Devil Breaker when needed, which Nico joked as "Raw Demonic Power knows a good thing"undefined
 * Swordmanship: Nero is particularly proficient with a sword, it being his main form of combat. He is skilled enough that he was able to take on Dante in their first fight for a time and even gained the upper hand and disarmed him in their second fight.
 * Unarmed combat: While there aren't a lot of cases where Nero is shown to fight unarmed, he those few cases he has demonstrated decent proficiency with it. He once managed to easily take on several Scarecrows with only one arm, using punches and kicks while evading and even catching a Scarecrow's leg mid-swing. In addition, many of his Buster moves implement wrestling moves, which while enhanced by his demonic power, show that he is familiar with those techniques.


 * Arms (Weaponry)
 * Red Queen: A mechanical blade customized by Nero that has a powerful fuel injection system. When the propellant is sprayed onto the blade, it allows Nero to unleash fiery attacks. It is durable enough to clash with the likes of Devil Arms such as Rebellion.undefined
 * Blue Rose: A product of Nero's own design, this weapon is uniquely constructed revolver with two barrels, allowing two shots to be fired nearly simultaneously. It is also capable of performing Charge Shots from Nero's channeling of demonic energy from his devil bringer. undefined
 * Devil Bringer : Nero's right arm and manifestation of power. He is capable of taking advantage of its great strength and demonic powers to attack his foes.undefined Although it is torn off a month and half before main events of Devil May Cry, at the end of the game he achieves the power of Bringer Claws, which include all of the powers of the old Devil Bringer plus more.undefined
 * Bringer Claws: After awakening his own demonic power at the end of Devil May Cry 5, Nero can manifest two spectral wing-like arms growing from his shoulder blades.undefined
 * Devil Breaker: After the loss of his Devil Bringer, Nero began to use a cybernetic prosthetic that replaced his previous arm and allowed him to perform some of his previous actions. They also enriched his assortment with new moves and techniques.
 * Items inside the Devil Bringer (formerly)
 * Yamato: A legendary blade formerly wielded by Sparda that is said to be able to have the will and power to divide and wipe out the darkness.undefined This blade is capable of unleashing Nero's latent power and Devil Trigger. During the activation of Devil Trigger, the spectral entity that represents his very soul uses it during combat.undefined
 * Aegis Shield: A shield once held by Credo, absorbing its power allowed Nero to perform "Hold" with his Devil Bringer.undefined
 * Evil Legacy: An item which conains the power of an ancient evil and awakens a new powerundefined, this allows Nero to utilize Grim Grips.undefined
 * Anima Mercury: A artificial soul made via alchemy that breathes life into inanimate objects like the Gyro Blades.undefined
 * Rusalka Corpse: Part of a dangling feeler used by Bael that allows Nero to use the "Auto Search" ability.undefined
 * Sephirothic Fruit: One of Echidna's seeds, this fruit of her womb holds the power that binds demonic plants together and allows Nero to wither away demon plants laid by Echidna.undefined

Deadly Fortune
(Note: The Devil May Cry 4: Deadly Fortune novel depicts the events that happen before, during, and after the events of Devil May Cry 4 with some changes.)

Nero, hinted to be the son of Vergil, was born and shortly thereafter left on the doorstep of an orphanage, while getting the name Nero from the black blanket he was found wrapped in. He would later meet Kyrie and Credo along with their family and together, the three of them grew up in the city of Fortuna. Throughout his childhood, he would be teased by many of the children in Fortuna, who accused him of being a bastard child of a prostitute due to the fact that no one knew who his mother was. He would also grow close to Kyrie and Credo's parents. Throughout his life, he would be taught in swordsmanship by Credo and grew closer to his sister, Kyrie. However, both their parents would soon be killed by demons. Unknown to Nero, they were humans who failed in maintaining their sanity in the Ascension Ceremony. This event would lead him to not believe in God. Eventually, Nero would go on to join the Order of the Sword in spite of his conflicting beliefs due to the fact he idolized Credo and his sense of justice and also for the sake of playing a part in protecting Fortuna, a city that Kyrie held dear.

However, he would gain the dislike of the members of the Order of the Sword due to his lone wolf nature, apparently terrible skills in teamwork, and utilizing guns within the other, which is in contrast to the Order's belief that battles should be fought with only a sword much like how Sparda did when he was alive. However, Nero cared little for their beliefs.

One day, he had rescued Kyrie, who was attacked by demons while walking with orphans in Mitis Forest. During the rescue, his arm was injured. Later on, it would change into what would be known as the Devil Bringer. Nero surmises the reason for this was that he reached a point in life where his arm would be what it is supposed to be due to his apparent demonic nature, much like how that of a caterpillar turns into a butterfly.

During DMC4
While the events of Devil May Cry 4 took place, there are some differences within the novel from the game:

As he was being stabbed by Agnus and was dying, he thought of a dream he had been having recently. He met a man he had never met before, in which he described as having a "cold" glare but with a touch of "gentleness" (or kindness). The man asked "Can you hear it? The cry of a soul" and also asked him what his soul was "saying". However, Nero pushes the question back and asks him the same question, in which he replies with a smile "Power...I want more power." Hearing that, he replied "I'll take that too" and awakens his Devil Trigger, which is the representation of his soul, then reconnected Yamato.undefined

Devil May Cry 4 Refrain
In the iPhone version of the game, Nero becomes a boss character for Dante.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
Nero is mentioned in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. After Dante is defeated by Deadpool, Deadpool says "Next time, maybe you should let Nero do your fightin', skippy."

Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale
Nero appears as an unlockable icon in Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale. To unlock players must reach Rank 24 and 25 with Dante.

Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2
Nero appears in Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2 as part of the Devil May Cry 5 collaboration, he could have been acquired by players and added to their party during the collab period. He uses the Overture of Devil Breaker during combat, the Red Queen can also be used as a weapon depending on the attack the player chooses. His model is based on the Devil May Cry 5 look, his grunts and animations are also taken straight from Devil May Cry 5.

At one point in the story, he is fought a few times, acting as a boss, though those enemies turn out to be doppelgangers. His theme song, Devil Trigger also played at some points during the story mode.

Trivia

 * In the final battle against Sanctus, if you finish him off with the Devil Bringer, Nero will shout "Checkmate!" While in Devil Trigger, he yells "Jackpot!"
 * The word "Nero" is Italian for "Black", but Nero's name is also a reference to the Emperor Nero of Rome. It was widely believed, even at his time, that he was the one who started the Great Fire of Rome, although some historians say otherwise. To deflect the blame, he targeted Christians, ordering some to be thrown to dogs, while others were crucified and burned.
 * According to the Devil May Cry 4: Official Prima Guide, Nero was actually born with the Devil Bringer on his right arm. But in CR Devil May Cry 4, one of the cutscenes in Act 1 shows him with a human arm. In a PSM3 issue, it was stated that his arm changed as a result of it being possessed by an evil force.
 * Nero is left handed, as he uses his sword and gun using his left hand. This might have been the case since his Devil Bringer was imbued within his right hand.